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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
People who live to 110 and beyond may have a surprising immune advantage. Researchers found that supercentenarians carry unusually high levels of CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocytes — rare immune cells that can kill abnormal and potentially cancerous cells. These cells not only increase with age but keep clonally expanding, suggesting the immune system stays actively adaptive even in extreme old age.
People who make it to 110 and beyond may have a surprising biological edge: an immune system that keeps fighting. A new study published in Cell Reports found that supercentenarians carry exceptionally high levels of CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD4 CTLs) — rare immune cells typically associated with killing tumor cells and responding to infections. Rather than simply declining with age, these cells appear to expand and diversify, suggesting the immune system remains actively adaptive even in extreme old age.
Researchers analyzed blood samples from 28 adults across three age groups and found that CD4 CTL levels rose steadily with age. The cells also showed signs of clonal expansion, meaning the immune system was repeatedly responding to persistent threats — possibly including early cancer-related signals. Notably, receptor sequences from dominant CD4 CTL clones in healthy supercentenarians matched those found in patients with lung, breast, and liver cancers, though this does not confirm shared antigen targets.
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Why it matters: These findings challenge the idea that aging is purely a story of immune decline. If CD4 CTLs help suppress abnormal cells — including senescent and potentially cancerous ones — understanding how they expand could open new doors for longevity research and cancer immunology.
